Removable cover for bricks



Feb. 7 1950 J. R. CLARK REMOVABLE COVER FOR BRICKS Filed Aug. 9, 1945JOHN 00E 8.

MAI N WASHINGT BRICK TILE a GY INVENTOR J R. Clark (IL s ATTORNEYPatented Feb. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REMOVABLE COVER FORBRICKS John It. Clark, Silver Spring, Md. Application August 9, 1945,Serial No. 609,833 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-46) The present invention comprisesa weather proof covering for a brick unit, an object of which is toprovide an inexpensive cover which may be quickly engaged over anddisengaged from a unit without displacement of any of the bricks.

It is now well known to raise and lower units of brick, tile and thelike, by lifting apparatus, such as the Priester fork. each unitcomprising a predetermined number. usually over five hundred, inconjunction with the time bricks or blocks, the units being loaded andunloaded on trucks or like conveyances for transportation to apredetermined destination. After being unloaded, the bricks arefrequently exposed, for protracted periods of time, to the elements,with obvious undesirable results. After considerable experiment, I havefound it feasible to cheese unit bricks in a relatively inexpensivecovering, made of waterproofed paper or the like, which may be slidablyengaged over the brick, while they are mounted on the ground or otherbase. and may be expeditiously disengaged from the brick by parts of thecovering which form handholds.

A further object of the invention is to provide a covering or casingmade from waterproof paper. or other suitable material, capable of beingfolded along predetermined lines, in order to conform a blank to acontour which complements the stacked unit bricks; the inventioncontemplates the folding of the portions of the blank either inwardly oroutwardly to provide tapering flaps which serve as handholds' tofacilitate engagement and disengagement of the cover.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a waterproof covering,the sides of which may be equipped with advertising, as well as indiciato instruct users on how to fold the blanks into covers or cases, and toknock down the cases or covers for re-use when desired.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the followingdescription of the present preferred forms of the invention, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a case constructed in accordancewith the invention, illustrating its application, a part of the casebeing broken away to show the brick unit;

Fig. 2 is a detail fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing portions ofthe blank folded inwardly;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the case or cover per se;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the case is formed,scoring being used to show the lines on which the blank is folded: and

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary side elevational view of a modified formof case or cover wherein portions of the blank are folded outwardly.

In order to illustrate the application of this invention, I have inFigures 1 and 2 illustrated a brick unit 6 which includes tine brick las employed with raising and lowering apparatus.

for brick units, such as the Priester fork. In actual practice, a unitconsists in excess of 590 stretcher and header bricks which aresuperposed on spaced rows of brick known as tine brick and indicatedsupra at I. The bricks so stacked are raised and lowered as a unit bythe expedient of inserting the tines of the fork between the rows oftine bricks, the fork tines likewise embracing the outer surfaces of theextreme rows of time bricks. As is known in the art, pressure on thefork automatically clamps the tine bricks to permit movement of thelatter as a unit with the stacked bricks. The purpose of the presentinvention is to provide a case or cover for a unit of bricks in order toprotect the bricks, very often exposed on the top and on all sides, fromthe elements. I have found that the desired result may be accomplishedthrough the use of a relatively inexpensive waterproof paper blankfolded so as to conform to the contour of the unit, to

permit facile and expeditious engagement of the cover with, anddisengagement of the cover from, the unit. As is of course manifest,this cover, in order to envelope the brick, is of considerable size andconsequently provision must be made for its engagement over andespecially of its disengagement from the brick, especially if the weightof the cover has been increased by the elements. To carry out thedesideratum of the present invention, I employ a blank 8 which in oneform, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is rectangular. In order to facilitatefolding of the blank along predetermined lines, to effect a contourwhich will conform to the shape of the stacked bricks, I score one faceof the blank as also illustrated in Fig. 4. Parallel score lines 8 areused which intersect each other adjacent opposite margins of the blankproviding in effect demarked rectangular zones 10. Each of the zones isbisected by a scoring line H which extends to the outermost corner ofthe blank. The blank is adapted to be folded along a pair of theparallel lines 9, following which the blank is folded simultaneouslyalong the two remaining parallel lines 9 and along the lines H. Theblank may be folded inwardly as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 to provide,when folded, flaps o1 ears l2; or if desired the blank may be foldedoutwardly along the score lines II to provide external flaps or ears l2.The flaps either internal or external are preferably secured near theirlower margins, by suitable means I3, which in the present instance isshown to consist of staples.

In use of this invention, it is, of course, to be understood that theblanks 8 may be transported flat and, if desired, folded on the job. Thefolding, in accordance with the teaching of the present invention,provides a rectangular case or cover which generally conforms to thecontour of the brick unit and snugly engages the walls of the latter toavoid the possibility of casual displacement. I have found that insomeinstances, it is sufiicient that the case or cover extend to a pointapproximately midway between the top and bttom of the unit. It ispreferred, however, that the case be a size coextensive with thevertical extent of the brick unit as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this way,the case or cover is completely engaged over the top and the four sidesof the unit. The lower marginal edge of the case is prevented fromcoming in contact with the ground or other supporting surface because ofthe rows of time brick I. In order to retain the blank in a set upposition, the securing means 13 is preferably at the extreme terminalsof the flaps so as to provide ample room for the accommodation of thehands beneath the flaps, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. Inthis way, the case or cover is more easily engaged over and maneuveredinto a proper position on the brick unit. Of more importance however,the flaps l2 tend to permit disengagement of the case or cover from theunit without mutilation. To facilitate removal of the case from thebrick unit, it is preferred to first disengage the staples 01 othersecuring means I 3 when external flaps are used as illustrated in Fig.5. This frees the flaps 12 to provide in effect handles which may begrasped by workmen and the cover lifted in an obvious manner.

When internal flaps l2 are used, a maximum external uninterruptedsurface results for use of advertising and indicia of variousmiscellany.

Although I have found that the present invention may be advantageouslyused when made of waterproof material and the like, I am, nevertheless,aware that various materials may be employed for this purpose. I believeit to be of importance in the present invention to provide a collapsiblecase and preferably one which may be made up quickly on the job, placedover the brick and removed from the brick in a minimum period of time.In addition, with the present invention, re-use of the case is feasiblewhether it be retained, set-up or knocked down, by removal of thesecuring means I3 and collapsing the case into a blank.

It is of course to be understood that the function of the cover hereinshown and described is to protect a brick unit from the elements.However, the cover serves a further utilitarian function in that it islocated in sufficiently close proximity to the unit perimeter, thatdisplacement of any of the brick of the unit, during transportation, isrendered impossible. Consequently the brick, after having been loadedfor transportation as a unit, with the cover of the present inventionthereon, may be unloaded at their destination in the same manner,through use of the Priester fork or other hoist or unloading means.

Although I have herein described preferred forms of the invention, I amaware that various changes may be made within the scope of the claimhereto appended.

What I claim is:

The combination of a brick unit consisting of a predetermined number ofbricks arranged in stretcher and header rows superimposed on supportingbricks arranged in fixed spaced relation; and a cover for the unitcomprising a foldable envelope slidable over the unit and adapted torest on and pend from the top of the unit, the corners of the coverbeing formed to provide flaps tapering outwardly toward the marginaledges of the cover to provide hand holds.

JOHN R. CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 153,932 Bushfield Aug. 11, 18741,025,661 Voss May 7, 1912 1,296,765 Christensen Mar. 11, 1919 1,311,047Cole July 22, 1919 1,555,022 Proctor Sept. 29, 1925 1,735,548 Scott Nov.12, 1929 1,926,366 Bergstein Sept. 12, 1933 1,936,825 Butts Nov. 28,1933 1,943,742 Presbrey Jan. 16, 1934 1,966,893 Harris July 17, 19342,246,936 Grau June 24, 1941

